Interview – Daily Graces

Interview with Colleen Pressprich

Published on December 7, 2022December 1, 2022 by KateLeave a comment

Last month, my 10 year old daughter, Rosie, and I were able to review a new children’s book, The Women Doctors of the Church! Not only did we receive a copy of the book to review, we were also blessed to interview the author, Colleen Pressprich. We had a delightful conversation and what follows is the results of the interview. Rosie played an integral part in creating our questions and conducting the interview. She also helped me write up this summary. Rosie hopes to someday become a writer so this was a fantastic opportunity for her to spend time with a real life author and learn more about the process of writing a book, finding inspiration and getting published. We are so thankful to Colleen for taking the time to talk with us about her fabulous book.

How did you get the idea for this book?

These women are some of my favorite saints. I really wanted my daughters to learn about these 4 amazing women. When I went to look for books about them, I couldn’t find any! I decided to write one because, “I want my girls and other girls to get to meet these ladies before they’re adults.”

Why did you choose to talk about the 4 women Doctors of the Church? Why not 4 other female saints or martyrs?

“I chose these 4 women because I think they are incredibly strong and capable.” There are 37 Doctors of the Church but only 4 are women so this is a special group. I am hoping that by highlighting these women and bringing them forward then more young girls and the Church as a whole will begin to consider more women saints as candidates for the title, “Doctor of the Church.” There are many important women saints who have changed the Church that could be on this list someday.

I (Rosie) learned more about what it means and takes to become a Doctor of the Church. Mrs. Pressprich explained that you have to be known throughout the whole Church, not just the area you lived in. You also had to write a lot! And, your writings had to effect the whole Church.

Which Doctor of the Church is your favorite? Why?

I actually have 2. Teresa of Avila and Therese of Lisieux. I first met Teresa of Avila in college when I read Interior Castle. I felt like Teresa was writing especially to me. I loved that she was writing directly to women and that all the pronouns in her writing are “she” and “her.” I also liked that she was, “a little bit spicy, and feisty and sarcastic.” At first, I didn’t think I would like Therese of Lisieux very much. She seemed too obedient. But then, as I got to know her, I realized how hard it is to really live her Little Way well. To run back to God right away each time you sin, forget to pray, or mess up. “Therese challenges me.”

Which Doctor of the Church did you know the least about when you began researching your book?

I knew the least about Hildegard. She was the only one I hadn’t read any of her writings or books on before I started researching.

I (Rosie) knew the least about Hildegard too. Before this, I didn’t even know there was a Hildegard of Bingen! Because of this book, now I know that anyone can receive visions, even little girls. I also have learned that just because it hasn’t been done before it doesn’t mean it can’t happen. Hildegard, with the pope’s permission, went around Europe preaching to many people which was unheard of for a woman in her time period.

We love all the illustrations! Can you tell us about your relationship with Adalee Hude? Did you collaborate on the pictures and flowers or did you work separately?

Adalee Hude is one of my favorite artists. I was so happy when Our Sunday Visitor was open to working with Adalee and that she didn’t have a project already happening at the time. We emailed back and forth about the illustrations and we worked closely with one another to create the book.

How did you start writing? Is this your first book? Do you have more books coming?

I always liked writing and have had a blog before. I started writing online when I was a missionary and we had to keep an online journal about our experiences. I began to write a book when I was looking for a book about Marian Consecration for families. My oldest daughter was young and asking lots of questions about Jesus. When I couldn’t find anything, my husband said, “Well you know how to write. Why don’t you write it?”

This is my second book. My first is called Marian Consecration for Families with Young Children. I also have a Stations of the Cross booklet. I have a Jesse Tree book coming out next Christmas and a devotional about the Father Heart of God for families. Both of those books will be out next year.

This interview was a great experience. Mrs. Pressprich was a delight to talk to about her book and we can’t wait to read more from her.

Below is Rosie’s bio since she wrote this just as much as I did. I’m so proud of her!

Rosie Taliaferro is ten years old and second child of six. She attends St. Mary’s Parish Catholic School near Wichita, KS. She enjoys reading and learning new things. She plays the violin and piano. She would like to be a writer someday.

Restoring Dignity: An Interview with Erin Bill

Published on August 25, 2019August 25, 2019 by KateLeave a comment

I don’t think many would deny our country is in a challenging time. Opinions are strongly held and compromise seems a lofty and far away goal. Depending on where in the United States you live, the faces of our issues may vary. Our cities are unique, made up of many different people working many different jobs. Not everyone has close contact with asylum seekers or immigrants who have recently arrived in the United States. While it may at times seem our issues are too difficult to overcome, stories such as the one I’m about to share will hopefully inspire you to see our commonalities before highlighting our differences. I also hope it causes you to pause and spend some time reflecting on what you’re grateful for in your life.

One of my dear friends, Erin Bill, is a fellow military spouse who lives in San Antonio. She and her family have been stationed there for a few years now and she has been volunteering with two groups helping asylum seekers who are routinely dropped off by Border Patrol in the city. I’ll let her tell you more about that in the interview.

Erin has shared some of her experiences with me throughout her time volunteering and recently told me a particularly moving story. She was helping a group of Congolese women wash babies and clothes in the sink of the building they were staying in. Erin had a mop. A standard, simple squeegee mop. She was tidying up the floor so no one would slip on the wet surface even though cleaning floors isn’t exactly her favorite chore. As she worked the women stopped and stared. They were amazed at the mop. Erin was struck, she said, by their delight in the mop and the drain in the middle of the floor. Here they were, smiling at the tool she typically avoided. She watched these women cheerfully tending to their chores, seeing the novelty of a mop and a faucet and a drain with new, grateful eyes. Cleaning a floor with clean water from pipes and even more pipes to carry the dirty water – what was a chore swiftly became an experience of luxury.

When she shared this experience with me I knew it was one that had to be told to you all. What follows is an interview with Erin about her work, those she works with and the people she serves.

How did you start volunteering with the Interfaith Welcome Coalition and RAICES?

I read about these groups’ outreach in 2017 after several hundred asylum seekers were released without warning in San Antonio. They stepped up to house the families in a local church and help them on their way. It really called to me as work I could serve in as I speak Spanish well, grew up in a border state, and the best part was that I could work around being a stay-at-home mom and come in whenever I was able to. I joined the outreach sent to help families dropped off at the San Antonio Greyhound Bus station with supplies. We work alongside RAICES, which provides legal information to migrants as no counsel is provided for them in immigration court. I also do document translations for RAICES at home.

Who primarily are you serving?

IWC primarily serves people who arrive at the border or cross the border and ask for asylum. Historically, they were detained while officers evaluate whether they had a “credible fear” of being returned to their home country. If they were found to have a credible fear and no security issues, they were generally released to a sponsor to apply for asylum. There are three large immigration detention centers south of San Antonio and these asylum seekers were released at the bus station where they would pick up tickets purchased by their family in the U.S. That is who we usually encountered and helped on their way.

In the past year the system has been upended quite a bit. The government no longer makes sure everyone they release has a sponsor or a destination in the U.S. Some do and some don’t—it’s very haphazard. We have helped a lot of people who are released pending their court date straight from the border and may arrive without any tickets or money. Most are from the Northern Triangle—El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala. I have also met migrants from Nicaragua, Venezuela, Ecuador, Haiti, Congo, Angola and China.

How has your work challenged you, inspired you or caused you to think about things differently?

One of the founders of our ministry, Sr. Denise LaRock, always talks about restoring the migrants’ dignity. That is the amazing thing about getting to work with these families at the Greyhound station. They come in very frightened and disoriented, with tired and frightened children in tow. Being able to see them smile when I say “Welcome” and explain to them that we can help them understand their tickets, get on their bus, and give them some extra diapers for the baby is an amazing feeling. Simple things, like medicine for a headache, a toy car and a sack lunch just make the parents and children light up. Many have had people extort them on the way to the United States and sometimes they can’t believe that the faithful of San Antonio want to help them for free.

IWC uses a trauma-informed care model and sends volunteers for training in trauma. Learning how trauma can manifest in people appearing very quiet, frightened or aggressive helps me take those stressors less personally when I volunteer. It can be emotionally overwhelming at first to be faced with people who are suffering so deeply. Instinctively you want to step back and protect yourself at first.

It constantly causes me to reflect on and to be grateful for the safety I live in and for the food and shelter that I have. I’m also reminded that I don’t have these blessings because I am more deserving of them than any of the people I meet. To the extent I have these things, it is so that I can use them for others as Jesus instructs us to do.

Their faith is an inspiration to me. I wear my Lady of Guadalupe bracelet or necklace when I go to the bus station, since she is the patroness of all the Americas. That can be a great point of connection with the families, who recognize her and smile. Many arrive wearing or holding rosaries. A phrase of thanks I often hear is “Dios te lo pague,” which means “May God repay you.”

It can be very difficult knowing that many of the people I meet will not win asylum and will be ordered deported. It is also hard to say goodbye to them each day knowing that not everyone they meet here will be welcoming or kind. I have had to lean on my faith that our work matters anyway, even if only God knows the outcome.

Can you share a little more about the organizations themselves, how others can help their work and those they serve?

IWC is a group of churches and temples in San Antonio that have joined forces and funds to support migrants in the city. RAICES is a secular organization that focuses on legal representation for immigrants, on advocacy and on refugee resettlement. They are able to represent immigrants free of charge in court proceedings and they also pay bail so that immigrants are not kept in detention longer than necessary. They are both in need of cash donations, especially for IWC which doesn’t have as high of a profile.

The shelter with the infamous mop is run by Travis Park Methodist Church and IWC helps staff it with volunteers. It is in the church’s Sunday school rooms near the Greyhound station and gives people released by ICE or CBP a safe place to stay overnight if they don’t arrive with tickets. Seeing different faith communities, nonprofits and the city government coordinate to provide the shelter has been wonderful.

Currently IWC is raising money to support shelters in Mexico where the U.S. government is currently making many asylum seekers wait for their court date instead of releasing them to sponsors in the U.S. The border cities are very dangerous for migrant families and the shelters are not adequately funded by the Mexican government. We are also constantly fundraising for money to put together backpacks of supplies and to buy medicine, diapers and cell phone minutes. This is a video the local PBS station put together about Sr. Denise that gives a good look at what we do.

Another great way to help is to learn about the asylum system in the United States. The national media generally don’t do a great job explaining how complicated the process is for any immigrant and how little resources are available to help people navigate the system correctly. This is one good summary: And this is one that explains some of the roots of Central American migration.

I am so thankful to Erin for sharing her thoughts, experiences and volunteer efforts with us. I hope you found this interview as insightful as I did.

Interview with Julia Hogan

Published on September 14, 2018September 14, 2018 by KateLeave a comment

As promised, here is my interview with Julia Hogan. Julia is the author of It’s Ok to Start with You which I reviewed here last week. I enjoyed this book so much and was so honored to be asked to be part of this blog tour. You can go back and see the previous posts of the tour here, on Julia’s website. Or you can click on the links at the bottom of the interview.

My interview with Julia focuses primarily on the spiritual element of self-care. Enjoy!

Hi Julia! It is so refreshing to hear about self-care that includes a spiritual dimension! Can you share a story or two that demonstrates why having spiritual self-care is so critical to a whole self-care plan?

When we hear the term “self-care”, I think the physical side of self-care comes to mind easily. We think of getting enough sleep, eating properly, exercising, etc but you are absolutely right that your spiritual life requires just as much self-care as your physical, emotional, and relational life. Why? Well, when you make the time for prayer, the sacraments, and spiritual reading, you are spending time with the one person who knows you best, Jesus. I think that when you are strengthening your relationship with God, you gain a deeper understanding of your priorities and direction in life and this knowledge has a spillover effect into other areas of your life. When you recognize and embrace your worth as a woman or man created and loved by God (as you are right this moment), you want to take better care of yourself, you are more courageous in your life, and you are more confident in who you are and what you need to be at your best so that you can be whatever your are called to be in this season of life.

For so many people, the idea of self-care comes laden with all kinds of stereotypes, buzz words, and even guilt. It was so good of you to very clearly define what self care is, and what it isn’t. So often when it comes to prayer, it is easy to become either 1. Discouraged if you feel like you aren’t seeing “results” or 2. Distracted by life and loose the routine. How would you encourage someone feeling either of these emotions about their prayer life?

I think that it’s helpful to think about your prayer life as time spent deepening your relationship with a friend. Just as you will make it a point to schedule time with friends, send them a quick text, or give them a phone call, in order to deepen your friendship with that person, you can do the same thing with your relationship with God. Think of prayer as keeping the lines of communication between you and God open and as a way to deepen your relationship with Him. And when you feel discouraged, remember that when you spend time with friends, even if you aren’t discussing some incredibly deep topic or doing something amazing and adventurous, you are still enjoying your time with that friend. I can think of many times where my friends and I went for a walk around the block and it was so refreshing. We didn’t have any earth shattering conversations but it helped strengthen our friendship. It’s the same thing with prayer. Not every prayer is going to amazing and you won’t gain some deep insight every time you pray. Set aside those expectations and see prayer as a way of keeping the lines of communication open between you and God.

Thinking about the spiritual element of self care specifically, it can be hard to know where to start. As Catholics, we are blessed with some built in spiritual practices like the Mass and the sacraments. What have you found to be an effective place to start for someone just embarking on a conscious, intentional, spiritual self-care plan within their daily routine, rather than only on Sundays?

I’m a big fan of signing up for a daily email Gospel reflection. I personally like Bishop Robert Barron’s reflections and Blessed is She. They don’t take long to read (5 minutes max) but they help to get you thinking about what the Gospel means for you and your life. I recommend reading it first thing in the morning so that you can reflect on it throughout the day.

I think the most critical lesson for me to take away from the spiritual section of your book was “Don’t aim for spiritual perfection, but commitment.” What would you say to encourage those of us who get so wrapped up with the “right way” that we lose sight of simply following “the way”?

I think that our quest for perfection holds us back from even getting started when it comes to so many things in life but especially when it comes to self-care. We get stuck on finding the “perfect” spiritual practices and quickly become discouraged when we aren’t perfect at them. So instead of aiming for perfection (because it will only leave you feeling disappointed), try instead to start spiritual practices that work well for your season on life. Maybe you can’t go for an hour of adoration but you can make a quick stop in the chapel once a week. Maybe you can’t make it to daily Mass but you can make time for a novena. The point is, let go of the expectation that you have to be perfect and instead find little ways to bring God into your day whether that’s making a short gratitude list, praying before starting to work, or listening to a spiritual podcast on your way to work. When you find what works best for you (and not for someone else), it’s incredibly freeing and you’ll find that it’s so much easier to dive into your spiritual life with this mindset.

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Here are my take-aways from Julia’s interview. Isn’t she so good?!

God loves me and wants a relationship with me. But, this relationship is most often built in little ways.

Not every prayer is going to amazing and you won’t gain some deep insight every time you pray. Set aside those expectations and see prayer as a way of keeping the lines of communication open between you and God.

Find what works best for me, not someone else, and be open to trying things out (but also be willing to change my routines if self-care needs to take greater priority)

When you find what works best for you (and not for someone else), it’s incredibly freeing and you’ll find that it’s so much easier to dive into your spiritual life with this mindset.

I’m not perfect! (No matter how many times I think about this, write about this, it’s still so hard to let go of). I will not be perfect in my efforts for greater self-care. But that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t try.

We get stuck on finding the “perfect” spiritual practices and quickly become discouraged when we aren’t perfect at them. So instead of aiming for perfection (because it will only leave you feeling disappointed), try instead to start spiritual practices that work well for your season on life.

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Don’t forget to check out the other amazing writers contributing to this blog tour. Here are their links, as well as Julia’s website again.

MONDAY – Physical Self-Care with Barb from FranciscanMom

TUESDAY – Mental Self-Care with Laura Mary Phelps

WEDNESDAY – Emotional Self-Care with Erika Marie of Simplemama

THURSDAY – Relational Self-Care with Sarah of Snoring Scholar

Also, be sure to enter Julia’s contest to win a free copy of Its OK to Start with You

Contest details: For a chance to win a copy of It’s Ok to Start with You, visit Julia’s Instagram blog tour post and comment with the new self-care practice you will try. Contest ends Friday, September 14th, 2018 and the winner will be chosen at random on Monday, September 17th, 2018.